Cisco material is not difficult to understand but it is very broad
and touches on hundreds of concepts that must be understood and commands that
must be memorized. So think of Cisco certification as a very long journey with
many small steps. My first concern for students is that they master as many of
these small steps as possible with the equipment they purchase. You should be
less concerned about getting the latest and greatest hardware and more
concerned with the study material and how it fits with the hardware you get.
The study material is your only guide down the path to Cisco Certification
town. Without a good guide your learning journey will be slow and painful and
eventually you will give up trying because hurting yourself is not fun. To
avoid this trap you should begin with a lab and study materials simple enough
for you to master and then move on to more advanced labs and hardware when you
are ready.
Understand your journey
and your goal
When you learn Cisco you are not
really learning about Cisco hardware as much as you are learning about Cisco
software namely the Cisco IOS. Although we associate Cisco with hardware, and
Cisco boxes, Cisco is at its core a software company. In fact John Chambers
recently stated, “The days of boxes are over” meaning that the market has
shifted from needing just boxes for raw connectivity to needing advanced
software and services. Fear not, this means job security for the Cisco Certified
network worker because these new services will be even more complicated and
require more individual tailoring for customers. So the time and money you
invest in Cisco Certification will serve you well in the future. Remember what
master Obi-Wan Kenobi said, “Core routing protocol basics first you must master
before advanced services learning which run on top.”
Further when you learn the Cisco
IOS you are really learning TCP/IP the Internet protocol upon which all
networking technologies not just Cisco are based. It is true that in the
Certification Exams Cisco will expect you to know specific facts about Cisco
products but this is only a small portion of the exam. The majority is still
about TCP/IP and the protocols, process and services all of which are built on
TCP/IP. So the weaker your understanding of TCP/IP the weaker the foundation
you are building on as you move on to advanced subjects. Mastering the basics
of TCP/IP and associated protocols is good insurance because regardless of the
fate of Cisco or any technology company you will have mastered the underlying
technology that the entire Internet is built on.
So your goal is not to get the
biggest pile of equipment but to get as many concepts and commands into your
head as possible. Even if you stop before reaching your final goal of becoming
a CCNP or CCIE the import thing is that you already know part of way to get to
certification town. In case you get distracted in the future you can come back
for your second or third try and you can easily pick up where you left off.
Because certification is a long
journey speed and comfort are more important than you realize. Speed and
comfort will allow you to endure further in the long process and continue to
press on after you are interrupted by the host of biological necessities like,
employers, friends, girlfriends, wives, children, etc.
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